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Friday, 31 October 2014

The Facebook LOOKING FOR A REASON launch day event was lots of fun and gave me a great opportunity to interact with some of my readers. I held two prize-winning quizzes on the day, both of which attracted scores of entries.

1: The front of the Criminal Courts.
2: Gallows Heath.
3: The Horse and Panniers.

The winner of the Ted Bundy quiz was Tracey Walsh, who won a £10 Amazon voucher. The answers Tracey gave were:

Full name: Theodore Robert Bundy
Last words: "Jim and Fred, I'd like you to give my love to my family and friends," Date of execution: 24 January 1989 Place of execution: Florida State Prison, Bradford County, Florida Religion: Mormon Writer: Elizabeth Kendall Married: Carole Ann Boone

Paperback News

LOOKING FOR A REASON is already available on Amazon and there will be a live launch held over two days at The Bookshop
in Sabinillas, Spain. From 10:00 to 14:00 on Friday 21st and Saturday
22nd November I'll be on hand to sign copies, and chat about crime,
books and writing. If you're in the area on either day, why not come
along and enjoy a glass of wine or soft drink? I'd love to see you
there.

If you are not able to get to the Costa del Sol next month, the paperback of LOOKING FOR A REASON is already available on Amazon worldwide, clicking here should take you to the Amazon store in your country.

Thursday, 30 October 2014

To help celebrate the launch of Looking for a Reason, a number
of my writing friends have asked me to visit and chat about writing and other
matters. The ever-lovely Jane Bwye hosted a post from me this week on the pros
and cons of writing a series. I tried to be serious, honest I did, but a touch
of humour inevitably crept in.

Looking for a Reason, the latest in the D.I. Paolo Storey series
provides Paolo’s biggest challenge so far.

Someone is subjecting men to systematic rape and torture,
but who? More to the point – why? After three days of cruelty, starvation and
water deprivation, they are released.

Detective Inspector Paolo Storey has many questions, but the
biggest one of all is this: why, to a man, do they refuse even to admit they
were held captive?

As if the hunt for the elusive abductor wasn’t enough, Paolo
has to spend time finding out if money has been pilfered from public funds
poured into a new youth centre. He upsets a few local bigwigs in the process,
but ruffling feathers is the least of his worries.

His most important task is to work out why the attacks take
place. If he can do that, he'll be a step closer to knowing who is behind them;
but can he uncover the answers in time to save someone close to him?

Friday, 24 October 2014

Anyone who has faced a set of Simon Duringer's fiendish interview questions will sympathise with me. For everyone else, they make for an entertaining way of passing a few minutes watching the interviewee squirm just a little.

In all seriousness, I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the latest 10Q interview challenge. Thank you, Simon, for inviting me.

Tuesday, 21 October 2014

Red Ribbons, the debut novel of Louise Phillips, is the
first in a series featuring Dr Kate Pearson, a criminal psychologist brought in
to assist police with the profile of a child killer. The policeman heading up
the investigation, the prickly but endearing O’Connor, comes to rely on Kate’s
insights into the killer’s motives more and more as the investigation wears on
and a second body is discovered.

The red ribbons of the title are the link tying two historic
crimes with the present day murders. The fact that the killer is known to us
almost from the outset adds to the tension, rather than diluting it. Add into
the mix Ellie Brady, a psychiatric patient locked away for murdering her
daughter, and yet another layer is interwoven into the main plot. It’s hard to
say too much more without giving away details that will spoil the read, but
suffice to say this is an intelligently written thriller with an intriguing and
multi-layered storyline.

I enjoyed this novel so much I started the sequel, The Doll’s House, almost immediately on reaching the end.

So, how do you win the above goodies? Simple, you just have
to answer the three questions below (you can find the answers by reading the
free sample of Bad Moon Rising on Amazon,
Smashwords and other
online outlets).

Question 1: Where is Paolo standing when he first appears at
the beginning of Bad Moon Rising?

Question 2: What is the green barrier between the haves and
have-nots of Bradchester called?

Question 3: What is the name of the pub where Barbara
Royston meets her friend Leanna?

As you can see, the prize is well worth the effort. Send
your answers between now and midnight on 28th October 2014 to: frances@francesdiplino.com

Every email containing three correct answers will go into a
draw and one lucky winner will be chosen out of the hat to receive the books
mentioned above.